in europe, the dax in germany is up and running. we are higher -- lower, rather, sorry, by half a percent. overnight in japan, the nikkei, that was higher. let's see the nikkei up about 1.5%. >>> now the holiday shopping season is drawing to a close. and early numbers suggest what started out strong is ending with a whimper. mastercard spending pulse unit estimate sales rose .7% over the past two months which would be the weakest pace since 2008 during the financial crisis. many analysts had expected sales to rise 3% to 4%. earlier we spoke with michael mcnamara from mastercard advisers about the impact the fiscal cliff may be having on consumers. listen in. >> beginning of december when we saw the sales numbers come down, confidence numbers come down. something the media coverage really has brought home and clarified what the fiscal cliff means to personal finance. and that debate really seems to be acting as -- almost creating a sense of gravity that's pulling down different elements of the economies. >> spending pulse says even o